It is most unprofessional when the owner of a company does n

Home > Family > Family BusinessMaintaining a Professional Image for Your Home-Based Business
Posted by nick_niesen in Home on October 28th http://www.cheapairforce1saleuk.com/ , 2010


Most of us can easily list off 5 professional, and consequently unprofessional, business experiences we聮ve had recently. Our interaction with these businesses may have been in the form of an email, a retail shopping experience, or a telephone conversation. In several cases, the deciding factor between a professional and an unprofessional experience may have been something so small, so simple Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Blue UK , yet so significant.


Running a home-based business often means wearing the hat of everyone from order taker to customer service specialist. A stickler for a 聭professional聮 image, I believe it is essential I constantly make myself aware of how clients, contractors and the public are viewing my business practices. As the sole owner of my Virtual Assistant business, I have to 聳 nobody else is going to do it for me!


I聮m a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. method of business relations 聳 Keep It Simple, Stupid. The following five points may seem cliché, and ever so simple, but it聮s surprising how often home-based business owners forget to take notice of them.


1. Spell check. Whether you are writing an email Cheap Nike Air Force 1 White UK , creating a brochure of your services, adding text to your website, or writing a thank-you card, double check your work! Just about every program you work in will have a 聭spell check聮 function - use it! For projects such as text for my website or brochures featuring my services, I hire a professional editor to review what I聮ve written. You may ask, 聯Isn聮t a professional editor going to cost me a lot of money?聰 No! There are hundreds of Virtual Assistants who, for a surprisingly low fee Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Red UK , will edit your correspondence. It will save you the embarrassment of spelling mistakes, an error which may very well cost you a future customer.


2. The telephone. Have you ever called your favourite retail shop or your local notary public to hear them answer, 聯Hello?聰 No? Neither have I. Businesses answer their phone stating their business name, as should you! Unfair or not, some potential customers have a negative preconceived notion about home-based businesses, so let them know from the moment they call that you are a professional organization. Ensure your answering machine or voicemail clearly notes your business name, and directions for leaving a message or alternate contact information. If your business line is also your home line Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Pink UK , instruct others in your home how you want calls answered during business hours. Also explore the option of getting a smart ring number or a voicemail system with multiple mailboxes.


3. Professional documentation. Business cards, brochures, emails, website content, faxes, written quotes and RFPs. Always give out typed, clean-looking Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Black UK , professional documentation with your company contact information. If budget allows, hire a graphic designer to create your company聮s brand image so you keep a consistent branding with all of your correspondence. Lots of Virtual Assistants have a background in graphic design, and offer these services. Not in the budget just yet? There are easy-to-use software programs with template designs, which you can customize with your own information and flair.


4. Mind your manners. Smile when you are on the phone. Say please and thank you. Treat each and every phone call and email with this kind of care, and you will surely see repeat customers and referrals. Let customers know you appreciate their patronage. A sincere 聯thank you for your business聰 will go a surprisingly long way. Dealing with a home-based business is often a new experience for customers. Show them your level of professionalism by keeping your manners in check.


5. Know your policies, your product, your business. It is most unprofessional when the owner of a company does not know the answer to a question about their business. When someone asks for a quote Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Shoes UK , they are expecting an answer of how much your business will charge to provide them with a service. Potential customers don聮t want to hear how you聮re just redoing your pricing and you聮ve never done this before but think $40hr sounds fair. They don聮t want to hear that now you have people sign a contract because once upon a time you didn聮t sign one and you were never paid for that assignment. You are the professional. Give clear answers to the inquiries you receive about your service offerings, pricing, policies, etc.


Just be mindful. Operating a new or home-based business of any kind is certainly a lot of work, and a continuous battle to gain confidence from customers who may well be used to dealing with larger, potentially more established businessesindustries. Step up to the plate, be mindful of your professionalism Cheap Nike Air Force 1 UK Wholesale , and others will be confident in hiring your services, or purchasing your products.


NAIROBI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will next week host officials in space science sector from nine African countries to discuss the modalities of setting up the world's largest radio telescope, officials said on Friday.


Dubbed the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the radio telescope project is a collaborative venture between African countries, European Union, China Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Junior UK , Australia and Canada.


Conceived in 2006, the SKA project aims to boost observation of the outer space using a radio telescope. It will collect data within a one square kilometer radius and will be 10,000 times more powerful than existing radio telescopes.


"Senior officials and scientists will explore ways to consolidate Africa's support towards a project that will elevate space technology to a new level. The radio telescope project will bring large capital investments and create jobs," said Paul Baki, National SKA Technical Committee chairman.


Baki told reporters that this project will help answer fundamental questions like the origin of universe.


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